Image
Caribbean Calm
Pedro Capó’s single featuring Alicia Keys and Farruko has become the song of this summer. With its feel good lyrics and calming reggae tinge, embodying the spirit of the Hispanic Caribbean, Calma has accrued 1.4 billion views on…
THE MAY REGGAETON RECAP
This current heatwave is throwing off my natural calendar, from taking one glance outside you might think this was ‘The August Reggaeton Recap’ but instead it’s May’s – I promise. Unlike the weather, a lot of these newly…
Latin DNA by Dorance Lorza and Sexteto Cafe
The latest release from one of the UK's most outstanding Latin musicians
Grupo Niche 35 Aniversario (Codiscos)
This Colombian salsa institution shows no sign of stopping. Even after the death of its founder and musical brain Jairo Varela, this album shows how the Cali group has managed to keep the band going without losing quality or…
Lenacay: A New Chapter
Ramón Giménez El Brujo talks to Latino Life about the transition from Ojos de Brujo to Lenacay.
The New Latin Hit-Makers
The last article in our series on Latin Hit-making, Jose Luis Seijas spots the emerging talent from Latin America who, with luck on their side, will be the Latin hit-makers of the next few years. These are the names to look out…
The Midas Touch
While the whole world (yes even Simon Cowell) seems to have caught the Reggaetón bug and new talents (and not-so talented) are battling for no.1 hits on a weekly basis, Puerto Rican singer-songwriter has been riding on a high…
In Defiance for Art
In 2016, the world said goodbye to the Buena Vista Social Club in a farewell ‘Adios’ tour that included shows in the White House, where they performed for President Barack Obama. Or so the world thought. Defined as 'the…
Ibero-African Tragi-harmony
Paco Peña, arguably the best-known flamenco guitarist and composer outside Spain, talks about the musical harmony and human tragedy of Africa’s relationship with Spain. In his upcoming dance show at Sadler's Well's…
The Good Vibe
Not only did he showcase Bossa Nova to the world, Sergio Mendes personifies how you don’t have to be a shark to succeed in the global music business. The Brazilian music legend reminisces with Amaranta Wright on an amazing music…
The Grandfather of Brazilian Hip Hop
When you're talking about Latin Hip Hop, you can't get much bigger than Marcelo D2. A former vocalist of the band Planet Hemp, Marcelo D2 started his solo career in 1998 with the album Eu Tiro É Onda. After many years…
Re-Birth of the Cool
For a long time, salsa music was the music of the street and, when we think of the ‘Golden Age the Salsa’ of the ‘70s and ‘80s, we think of cool. The ascendance of bachata and reggaetón seemed to mark the end of salsa’s reign…
THE MARCH REGGAETON RECAP
The five songs below are just as unpredictable as the weather (in the best way possible). Whether you’re feeling like a club anthem or hearing some sounds that transport you back to the 2010’s, the past four weeks of music have…
Bebel Gilberto's Fantasy Island Tracks
If you were stranded on a desert island, which tracks would you absolutely need to get you through those times of despair? This castaway, world renowned and multi-Grammy-nominated Bebel Gilberto, daughter of bossa nova icon Joao…
The Resurrection of Fania
Everyone knows the legendary tunes that came out of Fania. Like all empires, Fania’s went into decline after the 1990s. For many years the catalogue of iconic albums that sold millions, made superstars of Latin artists such as…
Cuarteto Rising: From Córdoba’s Barrios to the Global Dancefloor
Forget tango. Forget rock nacional. The sound shaking Argentina right now is cuarteto, born in Córdoba’s sweaty dancehalls. Raw, relentless, working-class — the music of Saturday nights and fernet in plastic cups. Eight decades…
Guatemalan Fire
Gaby Moreno, this Guatemalan Latin Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter, has left an indelible mark in the collaborations she has partaken in, making her a true inspiration for all Latinos, let alone the small central American…
Issac Delgao Tunes That Rock the Dancefloor
El Chevere de la Salsa (The Cool Dude of Salsa) Issac Delgado is one of Cuba’s top salsa singers and has been at the top of his game since the ’80s with NG La Banda. He has become a reference for Cuban Salsa and has managed to…
Classic Latin Albums produced in the UK
Artists from all over the world come to record in London, and Latin Americans are no exception, from Soda Stereo to Buena Vista. But we are not interested in these 'parachute recordings', only the Latin artists who…
Peru Maravilloso: Vintage Latin, Tropical and Cumbia
Peru Maravilloso: Vintage Latin, Tropical & Cumbia
Afro-Cuba returns to Africa via London
A triumphant reunion for Boncana Maïga’s transatlantic charanga orchestra Las Maravillas De Mali...not so much a reunion as a reformation. Octogenarian master flautist, composer and arranger Boncana Maïga was the only original…
Woman on the Verge: MAVICA
Originally from Cartagena in south-eastern Spain, London-based Marta Casanova blends folk, indie, pop and electronic sounds. In September, Mavica’s debut album 'Sometimes a Person Never Comes Back (but that’s okay)',…
Lizandro Meza “Salsita Mami” (Disco Fuentes)
Colombia's iconic king of Cumbia, LIzandro Meza, delves into the world of salsa with flavour and passion
When Fado met Rock ‘n’ Roll, and Beyond
Ana Moura first burst onto the international scene in 2011, when she was hailed by the media as a ‘prodegée’ of Prince and Mick Jagger. But beyond this rather colonialist view (the Portuguese singer was a fully-fledged artist…
BUIKA THERAPY
Born of immigrants from Equatorial Guinea and growing up among Romani gypsies in Mallorca, Concha Buika has emerged to become Spain’s most unlikely Flamenco star. Yet her haunting, velvety voice, her sentimiento and chiselled…
Voice in Residence
In the often vacuous world of Reggaeton, Residente has stood out as one of its most outspoken artists. Even at the Grammy Awards, where he has, perhaps surprisingly, won more than any other Latin artist, the former Calle 13…
Buika: 'La Noche Mas Larga' (2012)
A few months ago I had the pleasure of interviewing Concha Buika. Charming, clever, talented beyond words and with a unique a yet universally appealing personal history: the daughter of African immigrants who grew up in Spain…
El Emigrante: Javier Moreno on his Lukas nomination and life in the UK…
Javier Moreno currently resides in London, when I spoke to him on a lovely sunny morning he was off to work on his side project: a Catalan inspired café! Born in Barcelona from a Catalan mother and Andalusian father, Javier has…
LATIN LONDONER #3 LAMAR - Vocalist, Composer, Producer
Born in Barcelona in 1979, Javier Moreno got his Flamenco influence from his Andalucian dad. He grew up in a little Catalunyan village, playing in the streets and 'with a great sense of freedom' Moreno before emigrating…
MARCOS VALLE- SEMPRE- Far Out (FARO 211 LP)
For several decades, Marcos Valle’s winning formula of well-produced bossa/boogie/beach vibes has been a shoo-in for non-Brazilian MPB fans and Sempre, his 28th album, is no different.
Ground Control to Major Juan
Elizabeth Mistry hears how the Colombian super-bard has put aside his Camisa Negra for a spaceman's helmet.
The Greatest Sonero Ever?
Well that’s a debate that will never end. In this interview with Oscar D’Leon, we explain why he has proved, atleast, to be the most important singer to salsa music, ever. And at his age, JOSE LUIS SEIJAS found him as we expected…
Sao Paulo Symphony and Venezuelan Pianist Gabriela Montero delight a packed Royal Albert Hall at The BBC Proms
The 2016 season of BBC Proms has featured an unusual programme of high profile musicians from Latin America, starting with the brilliant young Argentine Sol Gabetta, soloist in an outstanding performance of Elgar's '…
Arturo O'Farril's Fantasy Island Tracks
As son of the late Cuban composer, arranger, conductor, Chico O’Farril, and growing up among the greats of New York’s Jazz scene, we reckoned ARTURO O’FARRIL pianist, composer, and educator extraordinaire, must have had some…
De Camino Pa La Cima J Alvarez (Reloaded 2.0)
A compilation of his latest releases plus future hits.
Latest Content
Film & Theatre
Belén (2025) Dir. Dolores Fonzi
The Oscar shortlist film tells the true story of a woman who in 2014, after suffering a miscarriage…
Music
THE JANUARY REGGAETON RECAP | 2026
It may be a New Year but social media has taken it upon themselves to revisit the past. Currently…
Food
Mangamar: A Family Story Told Through Food
In Salvador de Bahia, one of Brazil's most vibrant cities, on the country's stunning…
Most Viewed
Top 10 Argentine Footballers
As one of the biggest football teams in South America and the world, the Argentine Football…
Top 10 Mexican Boxers
Globally, Mexico is known as a boxing powerhouse, boasting some of the greatest champions in the…
Ballads and Boleros
LatinoLife's Favourite Mexican Male Singers of all Time
Since the days when Mexico was a serious rival to Hollywood in terms of film production and quality…
